About Tim Burt

Monday, October 31, 2016

Mind over matter. That’s a phrase I’ve heard since I’ve been a kid. It somehow implies that our mind is strong enough to take control and master everything we put our mind to. There have been cults built around this lie! We all have things we’d like to change and try to make changes in, but with little or no success. How can it seem so impossible to quit doing or thinking about something our flesh loves but we know is not pleasing to God?
The answer is; we've allowed ourselves to become convinced that we love these things we know we shouldn't do. That affection for sinful things creates desire and lust for it, which then leads us to our failure to obey God. Love creates desire but hatred destroys desire. It creates a repulsion for it.But Pastor Tim, isn't hatred bad? Hatred is bad when it's aimed toward people but not when it's aimed toward sinful thoughts, desires, and actions. God recreated the emotion of hatred and this is exactly what He created it for—and the only thing He created it for! Unless that fleshly love changes to hate or repulsion it will continue to be a problem. Psalms 97:10 NKJV says, “You who love the LORD, hate evil: He preserves the souls of his saints; He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.” It is actually having a hatred for sin that helps create the strength of restraint to say no to sin. Proverbs 8:13 NKJV says, “The (reverential) fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogance, and the evil way, and the perverse mouth, do I hate.”

Too many people try to mentally override their flesh to win their battles. It doesn’t take long to figure out the success rate of this is poor to none. This is one reason people fall back into drinking, smoking, sexual misconduct, poor attitudes, greed, lust, and more.

What's the answer? Having fire! Having a passion that burns in your heart. There are few things that put a real fire in our heart but when something does, it takes over and consumes much of our thought-life and time. This is true whether its a good passion or a bad passion. You often see this when two people fall in love. A fire or passion is formed in them that instantly transforms their thinking and behaviors. It's all they think about and care about. They walk around with smiles they've never had before. Supernatural fire—fire that is from and directed by God is like that. It consumes our thought-life and helps burn out the evil and ungodly desires that tempt us. How does this fire come to us? We help it come when we begin to open our eyes to the power, to the greatness, and to the majesty of God. A fresh reverence and awe of God soon creates intolerance for Satan, evil, and the hurt and pain he causes.

In an Old Testament story from 1 Kings, we read about how God's people had been led astray to entertain and fill their lives with everything evil and false. God used His prophet Elijah to chastise them purposing to break up their stony hearts and open their eyes. He challenged the false prophets to build an altar and sacrifice that their god's would come down, accept and burn up. They built the altar but of course nothing happened. All the people watched all day long, but nothing happen. Then Elijah built his altar to God in front of all the people.

1 Kings 18:30-39 (NLT) Then Elijah called to the people, “Come over here!” They all crowded around him as he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been torn down. He took twelve stones, one to represent each of the tribes of Israel, and he used the stones to rebuild the altar in the name of the Lord… Elijah the prophet walked up to the altar and prayed, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, prove today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant. Prove that I have done all this at your command. O Lord, answer me! Answer me so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God and that you have brought them back to yourself.” Immediately the fire of the Lord flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the trench! And when all the people saw it, they fell face down on the ground and cried out, “The Lord—he is God! Yes, the Lord is God!” When the fire came they instantly knew the truth of who the true God was. The fire of God turned their hearts toward Him, and immediately strengthened them to set their lives back on the right path toward Him.

Proverbs 1:7 and Psalm 147:8 reveal the reverential respect for God and His greatness and holiness. This reverential fear IS THE BEGINNING of all wisdom, knowledge, and understanding in God.They say... "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge…" "Let them praise the name of the LORD, for His name alone is exalted; His splendor is above the earth and the heavens." When this is what you begin to meditate on—when you begin to think about the greatness of God and yet how personal He is—how His love has touched every area of your life, then your love for Him is reignited and a fire that changes you is formed within!

Psalm 148 is all about bringing praises to the Creator and God of the entire universe. Let your praise begin with thanking Jesus for taking the punishment for your sins. Then thank Him for setting you free from the bondage of sin! Then set your mind on all who He is and the magnitude of the love He has shown you! Setting your mind on this will create a fire within you that will strengthen you.

If you will begin to consistently worship the Lord and meditate on all that He is—then this reverential fear will begin to grow the fire of God in you and you'll experience His power, and strength rising up in you! Trust me. You want this kind of reverence for God to grow within you. It will be a fire fueling a hatred for sin and will help burn out everything that is ungodly and unholy. This is how we find the strength to obey God and to reject evil—not mind over matter.

Romans 8:2"And because you belong to Jesus, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death"

Friday, October 28, 2016

As the elections draw closer, people are asking me for my opinion on who to vote for. Many if not most people are not happy with the candidates we have to choose from and I understand that. I do believe that God raises up people into office but also believe that God gives us leaders that reflect our nations spiritual walk, which at this point, is not good. I would personally pick a flawed individual over a corrupt individual. I believe the evidence regarding that is abundantly clear to those that are sincere in examining it. Our most important issue is to look for the individual that is most biblically aligned with the word of God in their beliefs. That has also become clear to those who will sincerely examine the evidence. No matter who is chosen, I pray that God use the choice of the American people, to lead our country back to the greatness it's known in the past. The greatness that God cares about is a nation that leads the world in bringing the gospel, love, and compassion of Jesus Christ to the world. That is and was the anchor of America's past greatness. This is my, and I hope your, greatest determiner in who we will cast our vote for. Let us pray for our nation.
Below is a recent article written by a great minister of the gospel and precious friend of mine on her view of the election. Whoever our choice for President is, let us not let it divide us, but unify us to work for a better nation! God bless you! ~ Pastor Tim

Presidential Election written by Janet Boynes

This year's presidential election has left many of us feeling hopeless and outraged. After watching the last debate, I could see how those feelings could be heightened even more. We have two candidates who have a record of being deceptive and untrustworthy. From missing classified e-mails to degrading women, where do we turn?

As a woman who has endured both sexual and verbal abuse, I am greatly offended by Trump's comments. They are offensive and repulsive. I will NEVER excuse his behavior; it is inexcusable. But, it is forgivable. I believe he has MUCH to learn and a great amount of deep soul-searching to do, but I do accept his apology. Although most of us would NEVER say such shameful things, we all have made comments that if aired today, would make us want to hide under a rock and die. Again, in no shape or form am I excusing his behavior. I have personally seen Trump reach out to many Godly men for counsel, and although that isn't saying much, it is a great start and it gives me hope. Proverbs 12:15 says, "He who seeks counsel is wise." It is extremely hard to reconcile choosing a president while honoring my faith in this election. However, as a friend of mine said, "God can do more with a Samson than He can with a Jezebel."

Regardless of personalities, or political correctness, I can never condone the shedding of innocent blood. I must stand up for life. I must stand up for religious freedom and the protection of God's image. I must make my voice count.

When all is said and done, my trust and hope is found in ONE, His name is Jesus. He is not shaken by this. He is not moved by this. In fact, I believe this sets up the stage for all of us to turn our eyes towards the only one who can restore our nation again.

God is sovereign. "He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning" -Daniel 2:21.

No matter what happens in this election, we must remember that the most important thing is our own personal relationship with Jesus Christ and how we are a light within the world amongst our kings, rulers, and presidents.

Being a light means that we pray more than we complain. We bless more than we curse. We speak life, not death. And we hold on to the promise that God is still on the throne and He is still in control.

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

I love our church! When I say that, I mean that I love the people in our church and for a thousand reasons. Here is just one reason why. I was recently used in as a middleman. I'll explain.

I received a call last night from a couple in our church whom I'll call the Jones. They wanted to bless another couple in our church whom I'll call the Smiths. Here's why. The Smiths had to cancel their plans to attend a special Christian conference because the money that was supposed to come in as payment for work they had done, didn't come in. That happens a lot these days. The Smiths had paid a down payment on this trip but were prepared to lose it because they could no longer afford to go. The Jones, who somehow knew about this situation, wanted to anonymously pay for their trip. They felt led of the Lord to do so. But because they wanted to do so anonymously, they called me to ask if I would help it go forward. I called the Smiths to let them know of this special blessing from God coming their way. They were blessed beyond words!

I love our church because this kind of thing happens ALL the time—people blessing and helping each other. This is what prosperity is all about. This is the purpose for it! Although the desire for prosperity can be improperly motivated, God's reasons for wanting us to have it are not! He doesn't want us to seek the increase of our resources so that we can consume God's blessing upon yourself, but so we can live with a spirit of generosity being used to be a blessing—a blessing to help promote the gospel and to be a blessing to others in ways He leads us to be.

What we believe with regard to God's blessing, is that out of His love for mankind. God gave His son Jesus to die and pay the punishment for our sins so we could receive Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior and know that we've been given the gift of eternal life. He loves us unconditionally. As any good parent desires to bless his children, so much more does God desire to bless His children.

There are hundreds of scriptures that say this. Psalm 84:11 (NKJV) is one example: "For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. Another example is Psalm 115:13-15, "The Lord will bless those that fear (reverence) Him, both great and small. May the Lord richly bless both you and your children. May you be blessed by the Lord, who made heaven and earth. The heavens belong to the Lord, but he has given the earth to all humanity." That blessing simply means increase or improvement in our quality of life. The Lord desires us to have a sound mind, emotional stability, health and well-being, and the resources in our life to live out and fulfill the calling upon our life to serve Him in whatever form that is. If you've ever given to the poor, I would imagine you've done so to help improve someones quality of life. If you've ever prayed for someones health or wished for improvement in the health of someone who was sick, then you desired to see in increase of blessing to their situation. If you've ever seen someone who was lacking the resources they needed to provide for their family and you've hoped things would improve, then you hope for the same thing we do…to see an increase or improvement in their quality of life. I’ve never known any individual who has been in a third world country or even in a local impoverished home, who hasn't wanted to see increase or improvement in other's living conditions. We believe that God wants to help them, and so we pray accordingly and do what we are able to help. This past year we blessed over 400 families with over 8,000 toys and thousands of pounds of food at Christmas. We blessed over 700 families in our community with turkeys and baskets of food. This is just the tip of how we've reached out. This is how we interpret prosperity – the increase or improvement of someones quality of life, so they can fulfill their life's call with the resources necessary to do so.

We don’t pray that God will bless us so that we can consume His blessing upon ourselves. God desires to bless us, so we can be a blessing to others…“blessed to be a blessing." We give out of the gifts, talents, and resources that God has blessed us with. This is consistent with what Jesus taught in Luke 12:48. (NLT) "...When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required." Can you see it in Jesus' words? "Blessed to be a blessing!" This is what we teach our congregation and consequently, we have a very generous congregation, meaning a congregation that loves to be a blessing to others. That doesn’t mean by any degree that they’re people who have great financial wealth. It means that the average person in our congregation is generous and usually desires to bless others when and however they can. Most do sacrificially. I am blessed that our church has a wonderful reputation in our community for our outreach and generosity to help. I believe our city leaders, our police department, fire department, and many leaders in our community would say so.

To be a Pastor in the this kind of environment puts me in the middle of many miracles and great joy! I thank God that we've been taught this way. It teaches people to become givers like the woman with the widows mite—not because you have an overflow of abundance, but because you desire what God desires—to be a vessel of increase to His purpose and to others. If you've ever seen someone who has needs and felt the desire rise up within you to help improve their situation, then you have God's heart and instincts for the purpose of prosperity. He desires to bring increase. I recently played the middleman in that kind of increase and have do so often! Watching this kind of love flow in spirit and action is pure joy! Ask and believe God for what you need, but make your ultimate focus and purpose to be a vessel of His blessing whenever you can!

Luke 6:38 (MSG) "Give away your life; you'll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity."

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

1 Peter 3:9 (NLT) “Don't repay evil for evil. Don't retaliate when people say unkind things about you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God wants you to do, and he will bless you for it”

How often do you let other people's nonsense change your mood?

Do you let a bad driver, rude waiter, curt boss or an insensitive employee ruin your day? Unless you're the Terminator, for an instant you're probably set back on your heels. However, the mark of a successful person is how quickly one can get back their focus on what's important.

Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson. I learned it in the back of a New York City taxi cab and here is what happened. I hopped in a taxi and we took off for Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane when, all of a sudden a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded and missed the other car's back-end by just inches!

The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident whipped his head around and started yelling bad words at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean he was friendly. So, I said, 'Why did you just do that, this guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!'

This is when my taxi driver told me what I now call, The Law of the Garbage Truck. Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it. If you let them, they'll dump it on you. When someone wants to dump on you, don't take it personally. You just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. You'll be happy you did.

So this was it - The Law of the Garbage Truck.

I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me and how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people: at work, at home or on the streets! It was that day I said, "I'm not going to do it anymore." I began to see garbage trucks. Like in the movie 'The Sixth Sense,' the little boy said, 'I see Dead People.' Well, now 'I see garbage trucks.' I see the load they're carrying and I see them coming to drop it off and like my taxi driver, I don't make it a personal thing. I just smile, wave, wish them well and I move on.

One of my favorite football players of all time, Walter Payton, did this every day on the football field. He would jump up as quickly as he hit the ground after being tackled. He never dwelled on a hit. Payton was ready to make the next play his best.

Good leaders know they have to be ready for their next meeting and good parents know that they have to welcome their children home from school with hugs and kisses. Good leaders and parents know that they have to be fully present and at their best for the people they care about. The bottom line is that successful and happy people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. What about you?

What would happen in your life, starting today, if you let more garbage trucks pass you by? Here's my bet - I am sure you'll be happier. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so - love the people who treat you right and forget about the ones who don't. Believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance - take it! If it changes your life - let it! Nobody said it would be easy . . . they just promised it would be worth it!

Romans 12:20 (TLB) "Instead, feed your
enemy if he is hungry. If he is thirsty give him something to drink and you will
be "heaping coals of fire on his head." In other words, he will feel ashamed of
himself for what he has done to you."

Monday, October 24, 2016

I've had friends and talked with numerous people who have experienced various kinds of setbacks in the past few years. I have had people I know and people I dearly love lose loved ones or suffer significant trials in their life because of sickness or disease. When people are suffering from setbacks, it is not only difficult on them, but it is difficult for those that love them. It's always difficult to see people you dearly love experience setbacks, hardships, and loss of any kind.

What can possibly keep anyone sane, stable, and even confident that things will eventually work out and get better through these kinds of trying times? I have been through these kinds of times. What kept me in a good place? The simple answer is The Lord.That isn't answer enough for people who don't know the Lord well enough for it to make sense.

The world is full of evil, but not of God's doing. That is a full discussion in itself, so for now I'll leave it there. A question that often plagues people is, Why doesn't God do something about it? The answer is: He always is doing something about it. You just can't always see that He is. Because you are not God and cannot take in all the intricate details of the big picture of every human being's life, you don't have the capacity to grasp all that God is working behind the scenes. He is doing something and one day, through your hindsight, that will be completely evident.

When people I know and love are hurting from painful circumstances in their life, I pray a prayer rooted in scripture—God's Word. I pray, Heavenly Father, I pray that You will comfort my friends and help them to trust You through this time now and until those days of good appear in their lives! I pray that you will reveal yourself and help them to sense your presence and see your loving touch upon their life. I pray they will that they will acknowledge and praise you in the midst of their difficult circumstances. I ask that what the devil has meant for evil, You would turn for great good, and for your glory! In Jesus name I pray.

In the book of Genesis, we read the story about Joseph. He was the second youngest of a large family of boys. His brothers were jealous of him and hated him. They made his life miserable and created more pain for him than anyone should ever have to go through. Injustice seemed to be an ongoing part of Joseph's life. He could have easily cried out to God on numerous occasions God, why are you doing this to me? He didn't because he knew deep down that God wasn't the problem. He knew God loved him and he knew one day things would turn. I'm sure he could have never imagined how long that would take. But the days of his life being blessed, and justification did finally come. He went from being unjustly locked up in jail to becoming the second most powerful person on earth. The strength and courage he gained by not letting pain and fear rule his mind, emotions, and decisions, is what instead developed his character and let him walk in unparalleled wisdom from God that saved millions of lives including those of his own family.

One day his brothers repented to him for the horrible acts they committed against him. Joseph held no bitterness, but instead professed great and sincere love for them. He washed their sins away because of the love and washing away of pain that God lavished on Joseph. Joseph said to them, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives."Genesis 50:20 (NIV) God always had been working in Joseph's life. He had never abandoned Joseph and Joseph had never abandoned God.

I know how hard it can be when you are going through something difficult, to not feel the desire to cry God where are you in all this? But I encourage you instead to pray, God I know you are with me in all this. I know you love me. I know that you will turn what the devil meant for evil, for good. I love you and trust you and thank you for your grace during these difficult times. I thank you in advance for the blessing and insight that will come from them. In Jesus name, Amen! Like He did with Joseph and others, the Lord desires to turn what the devil meant for evil in your life for good! Know that and put your faith in it.

Genesis 50:20 (NIV) "You intended to harm
me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the
saving of many lives."

Friday, October 21, 2016

Have you ever felt like your life is off course and you aren't walking it out like you should? There are few things worse than feeling this way and yet continuing to do the same old thing while hoping for different results is considered insanity. So what’s the answer? How can you break out of this? How can you change directions and feel better about how your walking out your life?Deuteronomy 30:11 gives us a clue. It says, “For what I am commanding you to do is not too difficult for you, not too mysterious for you to figure out, nor beyond your reach (of doing.)"
Sometimes the Lord is impressing us to make simple changes. Oh I know they may not seem simple when He puts them on our heart, but they really are. We allow our imagination to make them more complicated than they truly are. Why do we do that? I won’t try to answer that. The important thing to know is this; let the answer to many or your problems, come simply. The are often clear directives from God. Don't be like a whiny child. If you do, your imagination will exaggerate the problem. Instead, ask the Holy Spirit within you to help you and strengthen you. Keep praying until you see that strength come and then walk in it. It's not complicated when you have Jesus in your heart and His Holy Spirit helping you from within.

In the Old Testament we read about a great leader named Naaman who needed help from God. The answer God would give him was simple but for Naaman, it seemed too simple to obey and that was the problem. He felt it needed to be more complicated and make a greater demand on him.

Naaman was the captain of the King of Syria’s army. He was considered a great and honorable man. He found out he had leprosy. Through a series of events he came to the prophet Elisha for help. Elisha was willing to help him, but he didn’t even need to meet with Naaman. Elisha simply sent his servant to tell Naaman, go dip in the river Jordon seven times. Naaman’s pride almost got in the way of his miracle. He was an honorable man. How dare Elisha give instructions through his servant. And the idea of getting in and out of a dirty river seven time? How insane does that sound.

We read in 2 Kings 5:11-14 (NLT) “But Naaman became angry and stalked away. "I thought he would surely come out to meet me!" he said. "I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the Lord his God and heal me! Aren't the Abana River and Pharpar River of Damascus better than all the rivers of Israel put together? Why shouldn't I wash in them and be healed?" So Naaman turned and went away in a rage. But his officers tried to reason with him and said, "Sir, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, wouldn't you have done it? So you should certainly obey him when he says simply to go and wash and be cured!" So Naaman went down to the Jordan River and dipped himself seven times, as the man of God had instructed him. And his flesh became as healthy as a young child's, and he was healed!“

Naaman wanted to make something simple, hard. God wanted to make what was impossible, simple!God wants to help you get on a path that feels right for your life. What’s your answer? 2 Corinthians 6:2 (NLT) tells us. “…Indeed, God is ready to help you right now. Today is the day of salvation.” When the word of God says, “Today is the day of your Salvation” it “Today is the day of your deliverance, of your victory, of the restoration of your health, of the increase of your prosperity.” That is what the Greek word for salvation means!
means,

So, what should you do? First, let the words of your mouth agree with God by faith. Romans 10:8 says, "Your salvation is close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart." You have to learn to begin to say it! Learn to say, “Heavenly Father, I thank you today that I am not lethargic. I am not dull. I am your child through the precious blood of your Son Jesus. I thank you that I have your Spirit and that you lead me through your Word. As you speak to me through your Word, I will obey and make the changes you lead me to. I'll keep it simple. I'll just begin to do it and draw strength from you at every step. Today is my day of Salvation and it comes to me simply like it did to Naaman. I will do what you tell me. End of story. Thank you for helping me to rise up and begin to make the changes you instruct me in, in Jesus name Amen!”
Now, let God speak to you through His Word and don’t make it complicated. You'll know when God is speaking to you through His Word. When He does, simply respond and obey. Just go do it in the strength of the Lord. Keep with it and change will come. You’ll soon feel better about the course of your life!

Proverbs 3:6 "Seek His will in all you do, acknowledge Him in all your ways, and He shall direct your paths."

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

One morning I was looking for my keys. I needed them right away but couldn't find them. That's unusual for me because I have a habit of putting everything in its place. I asked Renee if she had seem them but she hadn't. I could feel my heart beating faster and my face starting to flush. As Renee and I were discussing where they might be I said, Honey, I think I remember giving them to you. It really took on the form of me blaming her even though I wasn’t trying to. We both started to get anxious. I stopped myself and got quiet. I prayed and asked the Lord to help me remember where they was. Renee was digging around searching because I had put the pressure on her like it was her fault. Suddenly the Lord reminded me exactly where I had put them. I had left them in the pocket of a sweater that was hanging by our front door. I checked and sure enough, they were there. I sheepishly walked into the bedroom and said, Sorry honey. God just reminded me what I did with them. I didn’t mean to blame you. She was just her usual sweet self about it. I walked away thinking, I did it again. Will I ever stop doing this?!
Later that week I went to my men’s discipleship group at a local restaurant where we eat breakfast, study the Word of God and share and pray together. I told the guys the story. They all looked at me with a funny smile. Why? Because they all had their own stories of doing the same thing.

Girls, this isn’t just a guy thing. Renee has had her share of blaming that she’d admit to also. My impression from talking to numerous people is that this is a very human weakness that most fall prey to at times. Something breaks. Something goes wrong. We can’t find something, or life just isn’t going our way. It's at times like this that the temptation to blame someone—anyone other than ourselves, lurks in our midst.

When God sent Moses to deliver the children of Israel from Egypt, the people had seen a cloud by day and towering fire by night to lead them. God did this so that they would know He was with them. They had seen the miracle of the plagues against Pharaoh and the Egyptians. They had seen the Red Sea part and walked through it. They had seen His power first hand. But when they were hungry, thirsty, tired, and whiny they began to blame. Do we ever get that way? Can you say, Oh yea!

They were whining to Moses blaming him for their present discomfort. They would spout utterly irrational and false statements like, We had it better when we were in Egypt. Forget the fact that they were slaves that were beaten on a regular basis prior to leaving with Moses. Moses was just doing what God told him to do. People can’t directly see God so they often blame those that represent God in the earth. Now they were hungry and whining about it. Was God really going to let them starve? Of course not! They just didn’t know how to trust Him and He wanted them to learn! Finally Moses answered their blaming of him which we see in Exodus 16:8 (NLT). "Then Moses added, “The
LORD will give you meat to eat in
the evening and bread to satisfy you in the morning, for he has heard all your
complaints against him. What have we done? Yes, your complaints are against the
LORD, not against us.” What was Moses saying? Quit blaming us! People cast blame over and over in life. They get mad at God (which is the definition of insanity) and they often blame others for whatever is bothering them. Employees get mad at bosses because of cutbacks or changes needed to be made during economic downturns, something that neither boss nor employee is directly responsible for. The boss just has to find a way to manage it doing the best he can for the business and employees at the same time. The perception of how those decisions are formed and executed can easily be criticized and the blame can flow.

A doctor or surgeon is capable of making a mistake. Does this mean he’s careless or that the medical team was negligent? No but the legal industry can be a piranhas looking to blame and capitalize on any and every mistake. Soon greed ignores fair judgment and supersedes compassion and human frailty.

God wants us to learn to take responsibility for our own actions and do remember that everyone makes mistakes. We have to stop being so quick to want to assign blame. Instead, there is wisdom and blessing to be had from these two admonishments from the Lord. Proverbs 19:11 NIV says, “A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.” And Proverbs 17:9 NIV says, “He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.” The point of these two verses is that there is great blessing in becoming one who doesn’t blame but overlooks and minimizes most could-be offenses and instead has mercy.

If we really want to be Christ-like, then remember that Jesus’ love and life was for the purpose of releasing us from blame and making us blameless and sinless in God’s eyes, even when we didn’t deserve such kindness. 1 Corinthians 1:8 NLT says, “He will keep you strong right up to the end, and He will keep you free from all blame on the great day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns.”

Being a blamer or accuser is really displaying the attributes of the devil. He is called the accuser of the brethren. You don't want to be like that. So, don’t be an emotional reactionary. Instead, learn to pause, pray, and ask the Lord to help you at every uprising of anger and feeling of need to blame. The Holy Spirit in you will help you and over time, a more Christ-like and merciful character will be formed in you. And be sure that it will help you keep your love walk. And P.S.... Your spouse will really appreciate it!

Philippians 2:14-15 (NKJV) "Do all things
without complaining and disputing, that you may
become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a
crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world"

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Do you want to know what two things Satan thinks about over everything else? The first is destroying people's lives. His original name was Lucifer and God created him the most beautiful of all creatures. He was created to serve God but fell to His own pride—this before man was ever created. He tried to exalt himself above God and the rest is history. (You can read more in Isaiah 14) Hell was created for him and will be his eternity. You were created in the image of God and this world was created by God. Because of that, he is out to destroy mankind and all God created and works continuously to do so through pitting people against each other. As you can see, it works well. That is why God teaches us in Ephesians 6:12 that our fight isn't with each other but against Satan.

The second things he continuously thinks about is his impending and eternal doom! He knows his destiny is published for all mankind to see. That's one reason he doesn't want people reading the Bible. He knows his time is coming. He is terrified of it. Revelations 20:10 TLB reveals it saying, "Then the devil who
had betrayed them will again be thrown into the Lake of Fire burning with
sulphur where the Creature and False Prophet are, and they will be tormented day
and night forever and ever." Satan will soon be tormented day and night for ever and ever. Hell was created for Satan and the fallen angels—those that followed his rebellion against God. Hell wasn't created for man. Earth, Heaven, and eternal fellowship with God was His intended plan. Because of man's free will, he can follow Satan there by his choosing, but, Jesus died so every man could believe in Him and be delivered from following Satan like some of the deceived angels did. Satan knows his time is coming.

When Jesus would come to minister to someone possessed with a devil something would happen. The demons would cry out with fear. You see it in Matthew 8:29 (NKJV) "And suddenly they
cried out, saying,"What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You
come here to torment us before the time?" Satan and his demons know there is an appointed time.

As a Christian, you are the temple of the Holy Spirit. You represent Jesus in the earth. When you put up a fight and stand in the authority of the name of Jesus, and when you resist and rebuke demonic forces from attacking your life, then your position of faith, confidence, and spiritual strength grows. You progressively become a spiritual prizefighter. You were never meant to be a doormat for Satan to wipe His feet on. You are to "resist the devil and he will flee from you." As you put up that fight, you especially need to cast out wrong thoughts and feelings that are contrary to God's Word. Feelings are great when they respond to the truth of God's Word, but when feelings are steered by the discouragement from demonic attacks, it's time to take authority over them.

I remember some years ago we entered into a fight in the Spirit over our granddaughter's life. There were many rounds in this fight. It was time for me to step into the ring and take my authority. Want a play-by-play from ringside? It usually went something like this.

Okay devil, you want a fight? A fight you're going to get! First of all, let's get something straight. You aren't having my granddaughter. She belongs to us, not you. My daughter and son-in-law have always honored God and their parents and the promise of God's Word says “all will go well with them.” Did you get that devil? All will go well with them! You are not my God. You are a liar and Jesus said you are the father of all lies! So, listening to you is pointless.

Secondly, you are not a credible source of information because you are a liar. You try to pick out my faults to disqualify me from blessing, but the truth is, my sins have been washed away. Jesus sees me as His righteous. But you, ha—you will spend all your days in the lake of fire! That's your destiny—not mine! I will spend all my days with Jesus praising Him in the company of those angels that were smart enough to follow God instead of you.

Thirdly, I've been adopted by God and made His child. I've been filled with the Holy Spirit and I have authority over you. God says my weapons against you are mighty.2 Corinthians 10:4 says, "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.So, with these mighty weapons, I cast you down and out! I know you are a thief but Psalms 35:10says, God rescues those who rob from me. So devil, my God who rescues me from every attack too strong for me! Madeline will live and not die.Psalm 139:14says that she was"reverently and wonderfully made!"I know His angels are here to help us becausePsalms 34:7 says, "The angel of the LORD encamps around those who reverence Him, and He delivers them."

There is nothing like declaring your authority in a battle to stir your emotions toward the goodness of God. Jesus defeated Satan in the desert with the truth of God's Word. Satan would try to tempt Him but Jesus would step into the ring and say, "It is written, that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God." (Luke 4:4) After Satan was defeated verse 13 says, "And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from Him for a season." Satan will give up for a while but he will be back so we have to stay ready. It then goes on to say that as soon as Satan quit and Jesus had defeated him, then... "Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit." Do you want to return in the power of God's Spirit? There is nothing to refresh you like winning a good fight against the devil. This is how to have victory over discouragement. You resist Satan with the promises of God’s Word. The bonus is, you become refreshed and empowered in the Spirit. Step in the ring and try it for yourself today! Make it your daily workout! Praise God and defeat the devil.

Monday, October 17, 2016

It’s fun to dream. I'm not talking about sleeping dreams. I mean dreams of things we desire in our heart—imaginations of what we desire to accomplish and about what we hope our future will look like. Dreams help propel our hearts, our outlook, and our energy with a greater sense of direction and focus. It’s only when dreams never come true that we become afraid and put up walls to serious dreaming because we can’t take the disappointment. Proverbs 13:12 TLB says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when dreams come true, there is life and joy.”

Proverbs 13:19 NLT echoes this truth that dreams are good. It says, “It is pleasant to see dreams come true…” I have separated the first half of that verse from the second so you could momentarily focus on each half. It is pleasant to see dreams come true! But, this verse finishes revealing why dreams often don’t come true. “… but fools will not turn from evil to attain them.”

People pursue dreams for many reasons—the majority of them
having to do with making themselves happy. That is where the problem is. Some
of the greatest man-made inventions, scientific breakthroughs, and medical
discoveries happened because of people looking to help other people—not themselves.
When the central motivation in whatever we do is to represent the love of Jesus,
then He promises to bless us in what He leads us in. Proverbs 16:3 NIV says, “Commit
to the Lord whatever you do and your plans will succeed.”

When your desire to succeed and experience greatness is motivated by receiving the world’s praise, instead of being motivated to glorify the Lord and to touch others with His love, then pride and vainglory will be the result. One’s efforts may result in temporal blessing here on earth but will not have pleased God in the end. Mark 8:36-37 NKJV says, "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own life? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his life?”

Deuteronomy 8:18 NKJV reveals God’s purpose behind our success—the establishment of His covenant which is us representing Jesus in this earth. “But you shall remember the LORD your God: for it is He that gives you power to get wealth that He may establish His covenant which He swore unto your fathers, as it is this day.”

Does that mean everything you dream about and do in life has to be about God and sharing the gospel of Jesus? No, that’s not what I’m saying. It simply means that success becomes the platform for influence. Your influence is to glorify the Lord and not yourself. Remember that He is the source of your success and when it comes time for people to praise that success, remember who is behind it. Your success at any level will create opportunities to glorify Him. Don’t let success and the praise of men seduce you into thinking you are great. Don’t let the desire for success tempt you into stripping the representation of God, godliness, and integrity from it. Otherwise you may gain the world but lose your soul.

For some people, in order for their dreams to come true, they will need to take classes or lessons, or get coaching and then practice what will help them pursue their dreams. Some need to quit wasting so much time thinking about eating and instead think more about exercise to have that dream waste or dress size. Others will have to begin reading a book and studying or take some classes on speaking or writing. Others need to take some computer classes, in order to pursue the dream that stirs in their heart. There are so many people who have let themselves slip into unprofitable time-wasters that they become the fool mentioned in Proverbs 13:19. “…fools that will not turn from evil (or the unprofitable) to attain them (their dreams.)”

You know as well as I do that with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can easily discern those things that are godly and profitable and those things that are not. Profitable things help dreams come true. And as Proverbs 13:12 & 19 says, “…when dreams come true, it is pleasant and there is life and joy.”

Don’t let the devil steal your dreams and joy with unprofitable time wasters. Begin to pray and ask God for the grace to prioritize that which would make your dreams come true and to hate and despise the time wasters and unprofitable things in your life. He’ll help you because He shapes the desires of your heart when your heart is desirous for Him! And as your do pursue your dreams, ask Him for help, be a light for Him along the way, and acknowledge and glorify Him at every step!

Psalms 37:4 (NLT) "Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires."

Friday, October 14, 2016

A group of executives had just finished an all-day marketing meeting that had gone two hours longer than planned. The next subway train they could take home was leaving in twenty minutes and they were ten minutes away. They said quick goodbyes and a number of them took off running to the station. They hurriedly got their tickets and were running to the platform where their train was ready to leave from.
In their rush, with tickets and briefcases, one of them inadvertently kicked over a table which held a display of apples. Apples flew everywhere. Without stopping or looking back, they all managed to reach the train just before it pulled out – all but one that is! He paused, took a deep breath, got in touch with his feelings, and experienced a twinge of compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned.

He yelled for his buddies to go on without him, waved good-bye, and returned to the terminal where the apples were all over the station floor. He was glad he did. The 16-year-old girl who owned the table was totally blind! She was softly crying, tears running down her cheeks in frustration, and at the same time helplessly groping for her spilled produce as the crowd swirled about her. It seemed that everyone was in a rush. No one was stopping or took notice of her plight.

The executive knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, put them back on the table and helped organize her display. As he did this, he noticed that many of them had become battered and bruised; these he set aside in another basket.

When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl, "Here, please take this $40 for the damage we did. Are you okay? She nodded through her tears. He continued saying, "I’m so sorry this happened. I hope we did not spoil your day."

As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered blind girl called out to him. "Mister...." He paused and turned to look back into those blind eyes. She continued, "Jesus sent you. Thank you.”

He stopped in mid-stride and walked back to her. “I’m glad you think so but I don’t think Jesus would use me. I just wanted to help you. Besides, I am nothing like Jesus - He is good, kind, caring, loving, and would never have bumped into your display in the first place.”

The girl replied, “When I heard and felt my table crash and apples go everywhere, I cried out, ‘Jesus please send someone to help me recover all my apples.’” “Jesus sent you to help me. Thank you for responding to His call."

As the executive slowly walked away to catch the next train, her statement “Jesus sent you” kept running over and over in his mind. “Could Jesus have sent me back to her?” Our destiny is to know Jesus and to be used by Jesus to bring others the touch of His love. That is our destiny! Some know this and others don’t. Either way, the Lord leads people to demonstrate love – sometimes unbeknown to them. He is the source of that love.

Jesus has at times, sent you regardless of whether you knew it or not. It’s your destiny!

Mark 9:41 (NIV) I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward.

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

When I woke up this morning, I had a verse running through my mind. I believe this verse was a response from the Lord, to questions I had been seeking Him for. The Lord taught me years ago, when I have questions that only He can answer—ask Him, pray about them, but then learn to relax, put them on a shelf, and trust Him for the answer in His timing.
Questions are a good thing and a very fundamental part of learning. We all have questions. But, questions can become like a curse when they drive us to feelings of anxiety and confusion—especially when we can't find answers. Some Christians let questions create doubt about the reality of God and His love toward them. That doubt can rob your faith and that is when questions become a curse!

Life creates a multitude of questions and many people have no idea of where to look for answers. We can rejoice that we know exactly where to look. More than that, we have the author and creator of all things as the one who answers them. John 14:26 NKJV say, "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in
My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things
that I said to you."

Jesus knew the day would come when He would leave this earth and ascend back to Heaven. He was foretelling His disciples about it so they could prepare their hearts for this transition. He wanted them and us to know that He would not abandon us. They had been with Him for three years. For three years they could ask Him questions that He would answer. What a wonderful and powerful thing! He didn't want them to think they were going to lose that. To the contrary, what they had was going to become better. As long as Jesus was in a human body on the earth, they could only ask questions one at time and at certain and appropriate times. Upon returning to Heaven, Jesus would send His Holy Spirit who would come and live in each and every believer. Jesus said, that the Holy Spirit would be our Counselor and teacher. John 14:17 NIV says, "the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you."
In being taught by the Holy Spirit, it's critical to understand that just as you can't teach a toddler the fundamentals of trigonometry, chemistry or sex, you can't learn all spiritual truths at once. The Holy Spirit teaches us and gives us answers that are building blocks of truth, one built upon another. As adults we have questions that we want answers to and most often, we want them now. But like a child, there are things that God has to teach us about Himself and His ways that are at a foundational level. They become the foundational building blocks that deeper truths can be built upon. Isaiah 28:9-10 NKJV says it like this, "Whom will he teach knowledge? And whom will he make to understand the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just drawn from the breasts? For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little."

God cares about your questions and will answer them. You have to ask Him in prayer, knowing in your heart that when the time is right, He will bring your answer. The primary way He will answer them is through His Word which means you have to spend time reading it. He knows how to lead you into the Word. Isaiah 50:4 (NLT) says, "The
Sovereign LORD has given me his
words of wisdom,so that I know how to comfort the
weary.Morning by morning he wakens meand opens my understanding to His will." Ephesians 4: 11-12 also tells us that the Lord uses offices of ministry He has raised up to mature us—primarily Pastors and Teachers. This is why going to a Bible teaching church is God's plan and is critical. They will help expound on God's Word so that we can learn and grow. In this place, many of your questions will also be answered. He'll also use people that are learned in the Word of God to speak into your heart.

The Holy Spirit lives in you so that you may experience God's presence continuously in your life. He does so that you can be influenced and taught by Him rather than be driven by the questions of doubt concerning your daily and momentary circumstances.

So, don't fret! If things are happening in your life that are confusing to you—things that you don't understand, don't let them knock you off course with God. Humbly and respectfully share those questions with the Lord. Expect that as you read your Bible and are being taught by those God has placed in your life, you'll receive, the answers you need. He wants you to have answers and you can count on Him getting them to you! The verse running through my head today says exactly that! John 16:13, "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into ALL truth..."
In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt